I'm working on a new project with 2 other people and we are having difficulty selecting a domain name. We currently have 5 that we all like but cannot total agree on the final name. Has anybody dealt with a situation like this and have tips to selecting a domain name via surveys, market research, etc?

danglorant
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2010-05-16T06:06:04Z —
#2

go with the domain name that suits your targetted keyword or should be atleast a synonym

edhan
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2010-05-16T12:31:59Z —
#3

brohar said:

I really appreciate all the feedback and information, its given me some new perspectives on the topic. The search continues although TunaSafari has grown on me quickly and just maybe the final choice.

If that is your branding, it will be good as branding goes a long way down the road once your company starts to establish in the market.

Keywords usually good for short term benefits but branding is where you will catch people's attention like McDonald, Apple, Mac, etc. They have established themselves with branding and when someone mentions any one of them, we know what they are saying.

So, if TunaSafari is your brand, then go for it.

edhan
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2010-05-18T12:00:51Z —
#4

AlexDawson said:

That's a contradiction... you want a registered domain that's not in use? If a domain is registered it IS already in use (even if it has nothing on the site but adverts). If you want a pre-owned domain that's registered, then you'll want to go to one of those bidding sites like SEDO which auction off such TLD's

I believe what he is saying if a registered domain that is good domain but already expired so he can go and register it.

It is buying expired domains that are good. I believe that will be hard unless you track them. I know alot of people are buying expired domains.

AlexDawson
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2010-05-17T11:54:17Z —
#5

kattimorgen said:

How can find best registered domains but currently not in use. I wont to find a best domain.

That's a contradiction... you want a registered domain that's not in use? If a domain is registered it IS already in use (even if it has nothing on the site but adverts). If you want a pre-owned domain that's registered, then you'll want to go to one of those bidding sites like SEDO which auction off such TLD's

edhan
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2010-05-17T03:04:36Z —
#6

MyInterest said:

I did not understand what you were trying to say... Kindly elaborate more...

I guess what he is saying that if you are showing those you are interested in getting the domain names, someone else might register them. Ended up you can't register them.

lifeline
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2010-05-05T04:30:04Z —
#7

There are two ways to look at choosing the perfect domain name. You either choose a domain name that is keyworded or one that represents your brand. Ideally you get one that is both your brand and keyworded.

I think go with your Brand or Iteam, as on both you can get choice to creat branding your company name

ChrisGuthrie
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2010-05-05T18:00:02Z —
#9

Well you have two choices.

Keyword domain name.

This is a phrase that is searched X times per month. These are almost always taken if it's an exact match of a highly searched phrase.

Branded domain name

This is a way to build a unique identity and brand. Most important things with the domain name is if it's easy to spell (try the radio test - if you were to advertise your website via the radio can people easily find it themselves?)

Let me know what you think

amabaie
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2010-05-06T02:01:24Z —
#10

lifeline said:

There are two ways to look at choosing the perfect domain name. You either choose a domain name that is keyworded or one that represents your brand. Ideally you get one that is both your brand and keyworded.

There is another way to look at it - where do you plan to get traffic from?

If you plan to advertise offline, people will be trying to remember what they heard on the radio or they might by typing what they see in a flyer. Make sure your domain (or a domain auto forwarding to your domain) is...

A) easy to rememberB) easy to spell, hard to misspell (double ss in the middle of misspell would make for problems)C) ends in .com (Yes, even when poeople see .info or .ca or .biz in front of their eyes, they often type in .com)D) short

If you plan to get traffic from the searh engines, then it pays to have keywords in your domain name. I have seen websites with very poor SEO and almost no backlinks rank #1 for local searches when the domain exactly matches the query - with no hyphens.

brohar
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2010-05-06T13:58:41Z —
#11

Thanks for all the great info so far.

Our site has to do with the travel industry by the way.

Out of the 5 current domains in the running.2 - contain a keyword "trip"2 - have no keywords and would be conpletely branded names1 - Is a short phrase which describes the site but no real key word value.

I'm personally leaning to one of the keyworded domains. My associates are leaning towards a branded name. I'm nervous about the branded name they like because it could be misconstrued. It contains a word common to a specific form of vacation but out site doesnt even cater to that form but most others. I guess you could compare it to say CouchSurfing has nothing to do with actual surfing.

Is it risky to share possible domain names to survey people if you have the domains registered already?

amabaie
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2010-05-06T15:36:52Z —
#12

If you already have the domain registered, I don't see the risk in sharing.

Tiggerito
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2010-05-07T08:56:17Z —
#13

Use googles KeywordToolExternal to find out the traffic your proposed words will attract. It may even give you ideas for other words to use.

lifeline
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2010-05-07T14:36:00Z —
#14

If you domains are registered they are yours. No risk in sharing for a survey. In fact I survey a lot. I don't always know what is needed and wanted.

brohar
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2010-05-07T16:06:44Z —
#15

One of them reveals too much of the business plan, plus its the least likely one to be picked so ill withhold that one. Here are the other 4.

TripTuna.comTripPunk.comTurfStomp.comTunaSafari.com

Feedback is appreciated.

Google's keyword tool was interesting and helpful. "Travel" seems like the biggest buzz word but it sure is hard finding any unregistered, worth while, domains with travel in it.

Stevie_D
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2010-05-07T17:33:52Z —
#16

brohar said:

One of them reveals too much of the business plan, plus its the least likely one to be picked so ill withhold that one. Here are the other 4.

TripTuna.comTripPunk.comTurfStomp.comTunaSafari.com

Feedback is appreciated.

I'd go for one of the last two, probably tunasafari unless it really is specifically about walking holidays.

The first two don't (ahem) trip off the tongue as nicely, you need a jarring glottal stop in the middle whereas the last two just flow better from one word into the next. Tunasafari lends itself nicely to branding, and because it's unlikely to describe the actual travel package (which turfstomp sounds like it should), it gives you more freedom to offer a wider range of packages under the one name.

Tiggerito
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2010-05-07T18:08:28Z —
#17

I like TunaSafari.com as long as it involves khaki clothing, an elephant gun and a boat.

brohar
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2010-05-07T18:18:10Z —
#18

Tiggerito said:

I like TunaSafari.com as long as it involves khaki clothing, an elephant gun and a boat.

Haha, would make for a entertaining logo!I agree TunaSafari.com flows well and lends itself to branding well but our site will have nothing to do with safaris... so potential problem or will people understand..?? Also, is it worth giving up the Keyword for a good brand?

Stevie_D
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2010-05-07T19:47:22Z —
#19

brohar said:

I agree TunaSafari.com flows well and lends itself to branding well but our site will have nothing to do with safaris... so potential problem or will people understand..?

I don't think that's a problem. Do people think that when they buy books over the internet that they get shipped from the Brazilian rainforests? Do people think the most important thing on Facebook is a portrait gallery?

"Tuna Safari" is a great brand for many reasons - it's cute, it's quirky, it's easy to remember - but those reasons don't include it being descriptive of the product or service. "Tuna" and "safari" are two words that just don't go together - people aren't going to think that you are offering overland trips through Africa to see a saltwater fish. (Anybody who does think that probably isn't someone you want to do business with)

Also, is it worth giving up the Keyword for a good brand?

Absolutely. You might get a tiny tiny benefit from having a descriptive keyword in your branding and domain, but you'll get much more benefit from having a good brand that people connect with and remember and go back to. The content is where you describe your products and your services - in the text, in the headings, in the navigation, in the structure, in the meta description, in the inbound link context. If you try to keyword-stuff the brand and domain name as well, it starts to look uninspiring, robotic and even spammy. Let the brand be creative. Let the brand live.

system
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2010-05-07T22:35:14Z —
#20

I remembered i had so many domains and i really needed a new domain so i was thinking of a suggestion tool from domain registrar who can suggest some names on behalf of my suggestion names and there was fantastic website which has this tool hmmm it was http://nameboy.com/ also godaddy supports this.